The Gupta Empire

  • The Gupta period is also known as the classical age of ancient India because of its high level of excellence in the field of literature, architecture and fine arts.
  • The Gupta empire rose on the ruins of the Kushan empire in the second half of the third century AD. It comprised eastern UP and Bihar with Prayag probably being the seat of power.
  •  They had the advantages of closeness to iron ores in Central India and South Bihar, fertile land, and proximity to the areas carrying silk trade with Byzantine empire
  • Sri Gupta was the founder of the Gupta Dynasty.
  • Itsing, who visited India during 671 to 695 AD, refers to Srigupta as the builder of a temple for Chinese pilgrims (Chini Mandir) at Gaya.
  • Srigupta’s son Ghatotkacha succeeded him.
  • No coins were issued by the first two Gupta rulers.
  • The Gupta dynasty came into power with the accession of Chandragupta I.
  • The Gupta era is assumed to have begun from his accession in about 319-20 AD.
  • He married Kumaradevi of the Lichchhavi clan.
  • He was the first Gupta king to adopt the title of  Maharajadhiraja.
  • Samudragupta succeeded his father in about 335 AD. He is called the Napoleon of India.
  • The Allahabad pillar inscription gives detailed information about Samudragupta. The Allahabad pillar inscription was composed by his court poet Harisena.
  • Samudragupta performed Ashwamedha Yajna.
  • He was a lover of music. On some of his gold coins he is represented playing the veena.
  • Samudragupta was called Dharmavijay in the south.
  • Samudragupta was a patron of Vishnu.
  • It is believed that Samudragupta’s empire stretched from the Ravi to the Brahmaputra and from the foothills of the Himalayas to the Vindhyas.
  • Vasubandhu (a Buddhi st Schol ar ) r eceived Samudragupta’s patronage.
  • Samudragupta died in 380 AD. He was succeeded by his
    son Chandragupta II.
  • Under his reign, the Gupta empire reached its highest  glory.
  • Dattadevi was his mother.
  • He extended the limits of the empire by marriage alliances  and conquests. He married Kubernaga the princess of  Naga dynasty and married his daughter Prabhavati with  the Vakataka prince Rudrasena II.
  • After the victory over Sakas, he adopted the title of  Vikramaditya. After this conquest, Ujjain became the second capital of Gupta empire.
  • During his reign, Fa-Hien visited India (between 405 AD  and 411 AD).
  • Kalidasa was the member of his royal court.
  • Famous gems during the reign of Chandragupta II were Kalidasa, Varahamihira, Amarsimha and Dhanvantari .
  • He succeeded his father Chandragupta II.
  • He adopted the title of Mahendraditya.
  • He introduced the worship of god Kartikeya.
  • Kalidasa flourished during the reign of both Chandragupta II and Kumargupta I.
  • He founded Nalanda University.
  • He succeded his father Kumargupta I.
  • He restored and repaired the dam of Sudarshana lake.
  • His greatest enemies were the Hunas, a ferocious barbarian tribal which lived in Central Asia.
  • He assumed the titles Vikramaditya, Devraj and Sakapan.
  • Bhanugupta was the last ruler of the Gupta empire.
  • Kshetra: The land under cultivation
  • Amarakosa: On which all kinds of crops could be grown
  • Khila: A land which was not fertile
  • Aprahatha: Uncultivated forest land
  • Vasti: The land to be used for residence
  • The Gupta sculpture is the logical outcome of the fairly classical sculpture of Amravati and Mathura.
  • The Vishnu Temple built in the Gupta period is located at Deogarh (UP).
  • The Kankali Devi Temple, often referred to as the Tigawa Temple is located in Jabalpur district.
  • Number 16 and 17 cave paintings of the Ajanta belong to this period.
  • Varahadeva, the minister of Vakataka king Harisena (AD 475-500), dedicated Cave 16 to the Buddhist Sangha while Cave 17 was the gift of a prince (who subjugated Asmaka) feudatory to the same king.
  • Note: Vakatakas were the contemporaries of the imperial
    Guptas.
  • Vishnu Sharma wrote Panchatantra in the Gupta period.
  • The Mahabharata was finally compiled and edited.
  • In the Dharmashastra literature, the Yajnavalkya Smriti is usually regarded as the official law-book of the Guptas.
  • Kalidasa’s Meghadutam is a lyric of delicate beauty.
  • Abhijnanshakuntalam, Kumarasambhavam and Malavikagnimitram were written by Kalidas during this period.
  • Kiratarjuniyam by Bharavi and Mudrarakshasa by Vishakhadatta were also written during this period.
  • The Smritis of Yajnavalkya, Narada, Katyayana and Brihaspati were written during this period.
  • Aryabhatta was a mathematician. He proved the value of  (pi) as 3.1416 and conceived the concept of zero.
  • His book, the Aryabhatiya, presented astronomical and  mathematical theories in which the Earth was thought to be spinning on its axis and the periods of the planets were given with respect to the Sun.